OUR HISTORY OF
SUPPORTING YOUTH
Friends of the Children began more than 30 years ago with a bold idea: every child deserves a dedicated, caring adult who shows up for 12+ years, no matter what. That idea became the first and only long-term, professional mentoring program in the country. Starting in Portland, Oregon with 24 youth and three professional mentors, our organization pioneered a unique model that has grown to 43 locations nationwide, serving over 20,000 children and caregivers throughout the last 30+ years.
Long-term, professional mentoring has transformed lives—through small moments like bike rides, homework help, and playground visits, and big milestones like college applications, high school graduations, and first jobs. We hope you explore this timeline to discover key moments in the history of the Friends of the Children national network.
TIMELINE
1993
Friends of the Children is founded by Duncan Campbell in Portland, OR
2000
Seattle, WA
Chapter established
Klamath Falls, OR
Chapter established
2001
New York, NY
Chapter established
2004
Boston, MA
Chapter established
2008
NIH awards $3M for Randomized Controlled Trial of the effectiveness of the Friends of the Children model
2010
Social Return
on Investment Study
determines that
EVERY DOLLAR
INVESTED
in Friends of the Children
RETURNS OVER
$7 TO THE
COMMUNITY
2013
Bob and Dottie King invest $5M to establish National, the first of several investments totaling over $8M from King Philanthropies
2014
Friends of the Children begins
selecting youth directly from
FOSTER CARE
Tampa Bay, FL
Chapter established
South Bronx, NY
NY chapter adds second location
2015
Network-wide performance
management system launched
Office of Juvenile Justice and
Delinquency Prevention invests
$500,000 to support the expansion
of service to youth in foster care
– the first of eight awards through 2024
TOTALING $13.62M
Gresham, OR
Portland chapter adds second location
2016
Friends of the Children receives
$4M Social Innovation Fund award
Russell Wilson and Ciara begin investing in Friends of the Children through their
WHY NOT YOU FOUNDATION
San Francisco, CA
Chapter established
2017
Preliminary findings from the Longitudinal Randomized Controlled Trial are published in Prevention Science
Austin, TX
Chapter established
Charlotte, NC
Chapter established
Chicago, IL
Chapter established
Los Angeles, CA
Chapter established
Bend, OR
Chapter established
2018
Michael Jordan makes MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR investment in Friends of the Children
Conrad N. Hilton Foundation invests $1.75M to launch 2GEN PILOT – the first of 4 awards through 2024 totaling $6.15M to expand 2Gen work and to study its impact
2019
Annie E. Casey Foundation study results published in Child & Family Social Work
Antelope Valley, CA
LA chapter adds second location
Fargo, ND
Chapter established
Detroit, MI
Chapter established
Tacoma, WA
Chapter established
Salt Lake City, UT
Chapter established
2020
Simone Biles begins her incredible support for the Friends Network
In response to COVID-19, Family Needs Assessments take place across the network
Vancouver, WA
Chapter established
Eugene, OR
Chapter established
2021
ECHO FUND INVESTS $6M
to support the expansion of partnership and program impact in rural and tribal communities – the first of two awards through 2023 totaling $12M
Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies invests $2.5M to expand partnerships with tribal communities
Missoula, MT
Chapter established
Colorado Springs, CO
Chapter established
2022
MacKenzie Scott invests $44M in the Friends of the Children network
2Gen Impact Randomized Controlled Trial launches in partnership with the University of Notre Dame and now Portland State University
Rapid City, SD (He Sapa)
First culturally-specific chapter
Phoenix, AZ
Chapter established
Billings, MT
Chapter established
Houston, TX
Chapter established
Twin Cities, MN
Location established
Pine Ridge Reservation
He Sapa chapter adds second location in partnership with the Oglala Lakota Nation
2023
Gary & Christine Rood commit $33M to the Friends of the Children network
Pocatello, ID
Chapter established
Philadelphia, PA
Chapter established
East Boston, MA
Boston chapter adds second location
South, Chicago, IL
Chicago chapter adds second location
Chiloquin
Klamath Basin chapter adds second location in partnership with the Klamath Tribes
Flathead Nation
Western Montana chapter adds second location in partnership with the Confederated Salish-Kootenai Tribes
La Pine, OR
Central Oregon chapter adds second location
2024
Ballmer Group invests $2.3M to sustain and expand our work in Washington State
Congress approves $850,000 GRANT for National Center of Excellence
Friends of the Children closes out $30M CAMPAIGN for the 30th anniversary
Coachella Valley, CA
Chapter established
Long Beach, CA
LA chapter adds third location
San Gabriel Valley, CA
LA chapter adds fourth location
La Grande, OR
Chapter established
Stockton, CA
Chapter established
2025
SPOKANE, WA
Chapter established
DALLAS, TX
Chapter established
